Russian meat exports to China rise 40% in first five months of 2026

Russian meat shipments to China climb sharply

Russian exports of meat and edible offal from pigs and cattle to China rose 1.4 times — roughly 40 percent — in the first five months of 2026, according to data from Agroexport cited by Interfax. Combined shipments exceeded 53,000 tonnes and were worth almost $156 million, confirming that China has become a central destination for Russian animal protein.

Pork drove most of the growth. Exports of pork and pig offal reached 46,500 tonnes over the period, while beef and cattle offal came to 6,700 tonnes. The split shows how much more developed the pork trade is compared with beef, even as both categories expand.

Pork sets the pace

The 2026 figures build on an already large base. In 2025, Russia sold China more than 76,000 tonnes of pork for $191 million, according to the data cited by Interfax. At the current run rate, pork shipments in the first five months of 2026 already represent a substantial share of last year's full-year volume, pointing to continued momentum in the segment. Pork and pig offal generated the bulk of the almost $156 million in combined revenue recorded so far this year.

Beef gains ground

Beef remains the smaller of the two flows but is growing from a low base. Russia's beef and cattle offal exports to China reached 6,700 tonnes in the first five months of 2026. For comparison, full-year 2025 beef supplies totalled 23,000 tonnes worth more than $122 million.

Chinese trade figures underline the recent acceleration. According to China's General Administration of Customs, Russia supplied frozen beef worth $14 million in February 2026 — the highest monthly figure since May 2023. In 2025, China was the main buyer of Russian beef, importing more than 18,500 tonnes.

What it means for trade

For importers in China, expanding Russian supply broadens a sourcing base that has long leaned on Brazil, the United States and other established exporters. Proximity and overland logistics give Russian shippers a structural advantage on freight costs and delivery times. For Russian producers, China now functions as an anchor market that absorbs rising volumes of both pork and beef, supporting further investment in export-oriented processing.

The pace recorded in early 2026 suggests the trend has not yet peaked. Pork continues to set the direction of the trade, while beef, still modest by volume, is the faster-moving story month to month, as the February frozen beef figure shows.